vstars Chapter 123 Powerful Deterrence
Chapter 123 Powerful Deterrence
Before long, Elder Qingyang and two disciples slowly landed at Wolong Manor.
He glanced sideways at Li Guangling and the others, then his gaze fell on Kongming and Zhao Yun, his eyes filled with undisguised wariness and disdain.
Upon seeing this, Kongming simply smiled faintly and gestured for everyone to take their seats.
"Elder Qingyang, it's been a long time." Kongming picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and spoke in a calm tone that concealed a sharp edge.
"Brother Zhuge, you are truly lucky to have survived being chased to the Death Desert by the top experts of the Great Yuan Dynasty. This is truly unexpected!"
Elder Qingyang responded indifferently.
He certainly didn't want Kongming to come back alive, after all, he had taken all the credit for the warhorse incident.
Not only did his status rise within the Jade Cauldron Sect, but he also directly reimbursed the sect for 500 million gold coins, which is no small sum.
Even a typical sect, mobilizing all its resources, might not be able to come up with such a huge sum of money.
With these resources, he even considered pursuing his seemingly unattainable dream of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Whether he succeeded or not was another matter; the key was that if he could use money to achieve it, he would not hesitate to spend it.
"An accident, huh? Things are about to get even more exciting!"
Kongming glanced at Elder Qingyang and said, knowing full well what the old man was up to.
"Zhuge Kongming, what do you mean by that?" Elder Qingyang stared at Kongming with an unfriendly expression.
"It's nothing much. Elder Qingyang's appetite is truly insatiable. He called you here today..."
"Humph!"
Elder Qingyang snorted coldly, interrupting Kongming, then waved his hand to signal the two disciples to leave for the time being, and continued speaking.
"The outcome is already decided. Do you still have any objections? Kongming, I acknowledge your abilities, but it's all a matter of timing and fate. What can you do now?"
"What can I do? I just want my share back. I promised you 100,000 horses, does that still stand?"
Kongming waved his feather fan and said leisurely.
Who do you think you are to threaten me?
Elder Qingyang's face instantly darkened, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, staring directly at Kongming.
"Hahaha... Elder Qingyang, sometimes being too greedy isn't a good thing! Besides, once your sect finds out about this, you should know the consequences!"
Kongming was not afraid at all. He had returned this time to test his skills against a powerful sect like the Jade Cauldron Sect.
"Zhuge Kongming, do you know who you are talking to? I, Qingyang, am a powerful elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect, and one of the top 100 Golden Core cultivators in the Great Tang Dynasty. How dare you, a mere rogue cultivator, provoke me at will?"
Elder Qingyang's voice was cold and sharp, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying an undeniable authority.
Kongming remained calm and gently put down his feather fan. He knew, of course, that the man had been polite to him before only because he still had value to him.
Now that Li Guangling has lost his military power and is like a stray dog, and he has not shown his face for a long time, he is no more than an insignificant person in the eyes of the Jade Cauldron Sect.
However, he didn't mind giving Qingyang a chance. After all, the Jade Cauldron Sect was a powerful force, and if there was an inside man, things would be much easier to handle. So he planned to observe Qingyang's performance further.
"Today, I simply want to reclaim what is rightfully mine and seek justice. Elder Qingyang's actions are somewhat perplexing to me."
"Fairness? Hmph, in this world, the strong are respected, where is there any fairness to speak of!" Elder Qingyang sneered, clearly not intending to give in easily.
"Strength, is that all? Old man, don't push your luck!"
Kongming's tone turned cold, and with a gentle wave of his feather fan, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment, and an invisible pressure quietly locked onto Elder Qingyang.
"Hmph, Zhuge Kongming, have you lost your mind? You think you can scare me with your pathetic tricks?"
After Elder Qingyang finished speaking, he flipped his hand, and the aura of a Golden Core cultivator at the Great Perfection stage suddenly erupted, causing the surrounding spiritual energy to surge violently as if it had been ignited.
His eyes flashed with disdain, firmly believing that with his Golden Core Perfection cultivation, he was more than capable of crushing and intimidating this arrogant young man before him.
Upon seeing this, Li Guangling's brow twitched, and Li Muling secretly broke out in a cold sweat, unconsciously moving closer to Kongming.
Zhao Yun, however, remained unmoved, holding his silver spear and quietly awaiting Kongming's command.
Zhu Ganglie was terrified, twisting the hem of his clothes with both hands. He wanted to speak, but was intimidated by Elder Qingyang's pressure and had to swallow his words.
However, Kongming smiled faintly, and his feather fan slammed down again. As starlight bloomed from the tip of the fan, Elder Qingyang's pressure instantly collapsed.
Then a force as heavy as a mountain descended from the void, directly enveloping Elder Qingyang.
The violent magical power surrounding Qingyang was forcibly suppressed back into his body, and the stone bench he was sitting on instantly turned into dust.
But when he tried to stand up, he found that he couldn't do it easily.
Elder Qingyang's expression changed drastically, from contempt to shock. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his Golden Core Perfection cultivation being so easily neutralized and countered by the other party in an instant.
"You...when did you break through to the Golden Core stage?" Elder Qingyang was finally moved.
He felt not only the suppression of power, but also a tremor from the depths of his soul, as if the other party possessed some kind of power beyond his comprehension.
Kongming did not answer him, but smiled slightly, revealing his confidence that he had the situation under control.
Elder Qingyang also took the opportunity to retreat rapidly, trying to escape the restraint of this force.
Kongming would not grant his wish. He took a step forward and instantly teleported in front of Elder Qingyang. He lightly tapped his feather fan, seemingly gentle, but in fact containing immense power.
Elder Qingyang felt a blur before his eyes, and before he could react, a surge of powerful spiritual energy had already entered his meridians, frantically impacting the foundation of his cultivation.
Elder Qingyang was shocked; he had never imagined that Kongming had hidden himself so deeply.
His Golden Core Perfection cultivation was completely suppressed by Kongming at this moment, rendering him utterly useless.
Frustration and humiliation welled up in his heart. He had been cultivating for nearly five hundred years. When had he ever taken this junior seriously?
"Junior, you dare!"
Elder Qingyang had cultivated for hundreds of years and was ranked eighty-seventh on the Golden Core Peak List of the Great Tang Dynasty, so he had extremely rich combat experience.
Even though Kongming had the upper hand at this moment, he was still unwilling to back down.
Qingyang roared, and the golden core within his body spun wildly like an enraged beast, trying to break free from the external restraints.
However, Kongming's magical power was far more bizarre than he had imagined. The suppressive force not only did not weaken, but became even stronger, like a vast net in the sky, or like a bottomless swamp...
The power of the stars surged in like a tide, surrounding him completely, constantly squeezing his spiritual energy space, and rampaging through his body.
Elder Qingyang's face gradually turned ashen, and he finally collapsed to his knees, unable to maintain his previous haughty demeanor.
"No...impossible..."